The present invention relates to disposable diapers for absorbing and containing bodily discharges.
Conventional disposable diapers, for example, diapers disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 1996-196565A (Citation 1) and in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-296148A (Citation 2) comprise a liquid-pervious topsheet facing a wearer's skin, a liquid-impervious backsheet facing away from the wearer's skin and a liquid-absorbent core interposed between these two sheets so as to configure, a front waist region, a rear waist region and a crotch region extending between these two waist regions. A liquid-absorbent zone is formed in the front and rear waist regions and the crotch region in which a liquid-absorbent function of the core is effective and a feces pocket is formed.
In the diaper disclosed in Citation 1, the absorbent core comprises an upper core and a lower core underlying the upper core. In a crotch region, the upper core comprises, in turn, front and rear cores spaced apart from and opposed to each other in a longitudinal direction. The topsheet covering an outer surface of the upper core is folded toward the lower core in the crotch region and tucked between the upper and lower cores so that a pocket for feces (feces pocket) discharged by a wearer may be formed between the upper and lower cores.
The diaper disclosed in Citation 2 has end flaps lying longitudinally outside the liquid-absorbent zone and extending in the transverse direction and a pair of side flaps lying transversely outside the liquid-absorbent zone and extending in the longitudinal direction. In the crotch region, the side flaps are formed with a pair of darts, respectively, extending in the transverse direction and defining therebetween a concave (feces pocket) which is concave downward in the thickness direction of the diaper.
In the diaper disclosed in Citation 1, the core comprises the upper core and the lower core placed on the upper core in a thickness direction of the diaper and inevitably a bulkiness of such double core gives a wearer a feeling of discomfort. In the diaper disclosed in Citation 2, the top- and backsheets are drawn inward in the longitudinal direction and bonded to each other to form the side flaps with darts and these darts function to close opening of a concavity formed therebetween. In this diaper, the opening of the concavity is apt to be closed. If the opening of the concavity is closed, the concavity will no more function to receive feces.